Leica

Leica lets you experience photography in its purest form.

► Passion and perfection for creating unique images

History can be written – or photographed. For more than 100 years now, famous photographers from around the world have been capturing once-in-a-lifetime moments with their Leica camera. Moments that remain unforgettable.

Leica is German engineering at its best, and the Leica ideal is an integral part of the culture of seeing. Leica has a long history of focusing on perception and has developed innovative instruments that offer a unique experience. The result is a renowned series of cameras and lenses, and a superb range of sport optics. These products expand the natural limits of perception and open up new dimensions for human vision and insight. Leica quality is in a class by itself – both in analogue and digital modes. Top-quality systems with intuitive controls provide the best picture results and offer unparalleled creative freedom. In this way, Leica helps transform vision into personal creative fulfilment.

The Heritage

Leica made photography a part of everyday life when they introduced the first 35mm camera, engineered by Oskar Barnack. Barnack revolutionised the way cameras are today. The inventor and photographer intended to create a compact camera and move away from the large box camera on a tripod which required photographers to put a dark cloth over their head. The Leica was the first practical 35mm camera that used standard 35mm film, with the first consumer version being released at the Leipzig Fair in 1925. In the mid-to-late 20th century, the Leica was used by photography greats such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliott Erwitt, and Sebastião Salgado, as well as wartime photojournalists such as Larry Burrows and Alfred Eisenstaedt.

The Cameras

From the renowned Leica M-System to the moment capturing instant Leica Sofort camera, Leica lets you experience photography in its purest form. Professional photographers covet the Leica Q camera, the brand’s first compact camera with a full-frame sensor and extremely fast lens. Thanks to unparalleled aperture, shutter-speed, and focus, Leica cameras are incredible for all genres of photography, capturing the world in motion like no other device.

Leica Akademie

Be a part of the Leica culture – the mission of the Leica Akademie is to increase the joys of photography, share knowledge and bring a complete Leica experience to a new generation of photographers. Akademie helps improve photo skills and expertise. Leica offers bespoke tuition, workshops on several genres of photography as well as masterclasses with some of the world’s most renowned photographers. Leica Akademie is just one of the many ways Leica engages with its community.

Leica Gallery London

The tradition of the Leica Galleries goes back to the 1970s, and today, they are found in many parts of the world, from São Paulo to Tokyo. In aim to instigate a diverse and powerful programme to support London’s vast interest in photography, Leica’s latest gallery opens on Duke Street, Mayfair in February 2019. The gallery will be a destination space for photography connoisseurs, enthusiasts and collectors providing both visual and educational stimulation. The gallery will exhibit known photographic greats alongside fresh contemporary talents who are still developing in the art world.

Opposite ► Leica Ambassador, Greg Williams shooting Margot Robbie on the Leica SL.

©Greg Williams

Above ► Care, precision and attention to detail form elements of the Leica ethos.

Below ► The Leica M10 black compact digital view and range finder system camera.